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Reviews For: AEA MM-3 Morse Machine

Category: Keyers & CW Keyboards

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Review Summary For : AEA MM-3 Morse Machine
Reviews: 18MSRP: 139.95
Description:
Memory keyer with training modes (random groups and QSO simulators) and beacon operation.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00185
NE4EB Rating: 2007-01-27
I Will Never Let You Go Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been a CW operator for 29 years, and also enjoy CW contesting. I've owned MFJ keyers, Heathkit, and the AEA MM2. I've also used many internal keyers including the one I now own in my Yaesu FT-897D. About five years ago, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my ham radio career. I sold my AEA MM3 in order to free up some cash for another initiative. I had several years of experience with the MM3. What a mistake. After loosing four eBay auctions in a row, I finally won an MM3, and I've been using it now for several weeks. This unit is far and away the best CW machine ever made. It feels so good to have it back. One pops up on eBay every few months, but they are getting rare. Expect to pay $170 to over $300 for one depending on how lucky you are. They average around $225. I was VERY lucky to get one in mint condition with the manual and power supply for $189, but I would have bid $300 on this one if it were necessary. - 73, John NE4EB
WY3X Rating: 2006-06-02
Makes sending code a pleasure! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I honestly lament the fact that AEA is no longer producing the wide variety of equipment they once were. I also have an AEA Hamlink HL-60 that needs work, but have found nobody who does repairs on them. Truly AEA is the pinnacle of amateur radio equipment design! Using the AEA MM-3 is as simple as touch a couple of keys, send your code like you normally would, and it remembers and sends exactly what you recorded, exactly AS you recorded it! I give it the full five GREAT! because it deserves it!
-KR4WM
W5PEH Rating: 2006-06-02
Awesome Keyer Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Have to agree with everyone else. Great keyer. Very versatile. They are still around. Get one if you can. Earlier models were made in USA (white keypad)and the later models were made in Hong Kong (gray keypad). I understand that you might need a different manual for the actual one you get, but I have been using the later model and pulled a manual from online. I also understand that there are newer eprom versions for the keyers, but for what I do I havent had a problem as yet with the manual or operation of the keyer. Prefer the gray keypad.
W6FG Rating: 2006-04-21
You mean it won't brew my morning coffee?? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Why someone hasn't reintroduced The Morse Machine keyer, I can't figure. DJ8GO's review is right on and that's not all it can do! I do think that it's intuitive to use and a manual is not needed as a 'short cut' menu is printed on the top of the unit. It was also supplied with a several-page addendum that is the check sheet for the morse trainer mode. The 'contest simulator' is such a fun and challenging mode. When these first came out there was nothing like it on the market. I love mine and would advise anyone into CW to pick one up if you ever get the chance. Maybe the only "fault" would be the amount of real estate it takes up at the operating position but with all its capabilities it's worth the space!
K2BK Rating: 2005-09-01
Outstanding! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I wound up with two of these keyers some years ago. I bought one to use as a code trainer in the car so I could pass the 20wpm test, and got the other from a friend that did the same.
They sat in a box because I didn't have any interest in CW, and lost the speed I had gotten for the exam.

But recently, I have gotten interested in CW and dug them out to learn again, and when I looked at their abilities as a real on air keyer, they run circles around all of the "new" one out there.

If you see one on ebay or at a hamfest, jump on it!

Paul - K2BK
K4KOR Rating: 2005-01-24
The best keyer ever! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned about every keyer made in my 45 years as a cw op. The best keyer I've ever had is the MM-3. The worst keyer I've ever had is the Logikey K-3.

No other keyer comes close to offering the features the MM-3 does. It is also the most reliable. They just keep going and going.
REMOVED_VE2FU Rating: 2004-06-03
Just the best of the past... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After 10 years away from the hobby...I just bought back my MM-3. Simply cannot find anything close to this in 2004. There is nothing you can improve except new callsigns for contest simulation...
Great CW and Contest training.
Score 6/5 !
73 Phil VE2FU
N2DE Rating: 2003-04-24
Haven't found anything else that comes even close. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my MM-3 for more years than I can remember, and I sure hope it will never fail, because I haven't found anything that comes even close in versatility. Not only is it a perfect memory keyer with more memory than you will need for realistic purposes: 20 messages in two banks of 10 each with up to 8000 characters total, or 32000 characters total if you plug in another memory chip. The 10 messages that are active at any time are activated by buttons that are on top of the cabinet (and not on the front panel, where you'd push the whole thing around ...) Messages can be linked - e.g. you would have one message with your call sign that you refer to in all other messages. Speed is set by an analogue control with definable upper and lower limits (or digital if you prefer, but in real life a pot is much more convenient). For contest exchanges it will generate serial numbers in various formats and speed up parts of a message. You load messages through your paddle or via a serial port on your computer. (this also gives it a limited keyboard keyer capability)

If you want to improve your CW skills it has a variety of trainer modes. It can generate code groups with character sets of different complexity and play them at steadily increasing speed. Or it can simulate a DX contest or just regular QSO's in a pretty life-like fashion and react to your entries (like call, name, QTH) quite realistically. It is not well suited for complete beginners, however, since the most basic training mode already assumes that you have mastered all morse characters.

The beacon mode allows you to set limits on the playback time for a message, and the pause between repetitions.

The total complement of functions is described in a 70-page manual which is a MUST if you get an MM-3. The MM-3 came in a number of versions (the earlier models with a white keypad were made in USA, while later versions with a grey keypad were made in Hong Kong) which not only differed in appearance but also in functionality - make sure that your manual actually reflects the capability that is implemented in the EPROM.

This keyer may be overkill unless you are a dedicated CW operator (if you have one that you don't need PLEASE let me know), but if you are then there is nothing on the market that even approaches it in versatility - and this after more than 10 years since it went out of production.